6: Growth and Competitiveness

Economic growth and competitiveness

Other Information:

A high-priority task is to contribute to a stable economy with sound, balanced public finances, an economic policy of full employment, a sustainable pension system and continuous efforts to make both the labour market and product and capital markets more flexible and dynamic. The anticipated demographic trend in the next 30 years, which will mean that fewer and fewer people will have to support an ever larger non-working population, is a major challenge. Sweden needs a strong and competitive industry and business sector. This means competitive enterprises that integrate social and environmental considerations into their business policies. Consumption and production in the industrialized countries is the largest single cause of adverse impacts on the global environment. It is necessary to remedy this state of affairs and achieve sustainable consumption and production patterns. Objectives: The objectives of economic policy are a budget balance of 2 per cent of GNP over the economic cycle and full employment. The Government’s objective is for 80 per cent of the population between the ages of 20 and 64 to have regular jobs by 2004. The objective of halving benefit dependency is another important task within the framework of economic policy. The objective of industrial policy is to promote sustainable economic growth and increased employment on the basis of more enterprises and growing enterprises. The main objective of consumer policy is to develop consumption and production patterns that reduce the burden on the environment and contribute to sustainable development.

Objective(s):

6.1: Economic Stability

6.2: Taxes and Environmental Accounts

6.3: Industrial Policy

6.4: Environment-Motivated Business Development

6.5: Product Policy

6.6: Swedish Environmental Technology Exports

6.7: Technology Development

6.8: Enterprises

6.9: Consumer Policy

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